HIPRA on the cutting edge of innovation with the "Smart Vaccination" concept

HIPRA on the cutting edge of innovation with the "Smart Vaccination" concept

Published on: January 30, 2017

At the IPVS/ESPHM Congress 2016, HIPRA unveiled "Smart Vaccination", a completely new and revolutionary concept that combines technology, expertise and customer service. The idea behind this project is to offer customers maximum reliability (precision, control and safety) when administrating animal health vaccines.

The "Smart Vaccination" concept opens up a whole new world of benefits that only the Leader in Prevention can offer. Specifically, it is based on combining three interconnected elements: highly innovative vaccines, vaccination tools and vaccination process management software.

Combined with cutting-edge and pioneering animal health technology, these three elements offer users fully automatic and full connectivity between the vaccine, the farms and the vaccine administrators (veterinarians and farmers), all in real time. Having undoubtedly revolutionised the swine industry, it also represents a major step forward in veterinary medicine as a whole.

How did the concept come about?

Through direct contact with pig producers around the world, the HIPRA team was able to gather information about the requirements of vaccine users. Accordingly, HIPRA has received countless comments or questions, such as the following: How can I be sure that I have vaccinated correctly? Was the vaccination time correct? Which vaccine? How many vaccinations have I administered in total? What is the batch number of the administered vaccine?

"Smart Vaccination" is a multidisciplinary, multifactorial and multi-species solution developed by HIPRA to answer the important questions raised by customers concerning the vaccination process.

UNISTRAIN® PRRS intradermal (ID) delivery

The first component of this concept is the UNISTRAIN® PRRS live vaccine, which received approval for intradermal delivery and administration in piglets in 2015. In addition to this innovation and its enormous uptake in every country where it has been launched, UNISTRAIN® PRRS is currently the first and only animal health vaccine that incorporates RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology in its label. RFID technology works by inserting a chip in the label of the vaccine, which identifies inert elements and automatically provides information to the user, making it a smart (or intelligent) vaccine.

As it contains comprehensive traceability information (doses administered per vial, number of doses per vial, manufacturing batch and expiry date), RFID technology enables each and every vaccine vial administered to animals to be individually managed. As well as containing complete vaccine information, the chip also stores specific data and codes that can intelligently interact with Hipradermic®, the second key component of "Smart Vaccination".

Hipradermic®: a new needle-free device offering significant benefits

Hipradermic® is a needle-free device with connectivity for HIPRA intradermal vaccinations. It is fitted with an antenna that can read the information contained in the RFID chip of each vaccine vial and link it to a specific vaccination session. All the data recorded by Hipradermic® can then be transferred to other Bluetooth® devices to analyse traceability data and to create a vaccination certificate.

However, the main advantage offered by Hipradermic® as an injection device is the accuracy in administrating the vaccine. In this regard, Hipradermic® offers three advantages:

2. Precise dispersion profile and tissue depth (Hipradermic® has been designed to offer a suitable ID dispersion profile with a range of 60% paraffin in aqueous solvent).

3. Optimal vaccine delivery on the surface of the skin (Hipradermic® ensures that the vaccine liquid is fully absorbed when the injector head is placed completely perpendicular to the animal’s skin).

Finally, its ergonomic design (weight, size) that fits perfectly in the hand, automatic operation and ease of use, suitability for different vial sizes (10 ml, 20 ml and 50 ml), and maintenance-free life cycle of 35,000 shots further enhance the significant benefits offered by Hipradermic® to facilitate the vaccination process.

Hipralink®: management software for the vaccination process

The third component of "Smart Vaccination" is the Hipralink® management software, which is specifically designed to accurately and automatically collect, analyse and trace complete HIPRA vaccination data throughout the vaccination process.

Although modern pig farming comprises a multitude of production management programmes, this is the world’s first programme dedicated specifically and exclusively to vaccination.

By interpreting the data collected by Hipradermic® and processed through Hipralink®, HIPRA can answer many of its customers’ questions, such as: Who? Where? Which vaccine? How long did it take to vaccinate a group of animals? When do they need to be revaccinated? Which vaccine batch was used? etc. In other words, information is provided that guarantees the vaccination process and certifies that the vaccination was administered successfully.

Through "Smart Vaccination", HIPRA can offer its customers fully automated, basic vaccination information thanks to full connectivity between the vaccine, farms and the vaccine administrators (veterinarians and farmers). This information represents significant added value, not just because it offers substantial time savings in information management, but also because it provides reliable data to facilitate financial decision-making.

With this revolutionary concept, HIPRA has once again shown its commitment to prevention, offering unique and innovative solutions that both substantially support the daily activities of animal health professionals, and constitute a milestone for the company and veterinary medicine in general.